The Impossible Girl & The Improbable Boy
by MarvelGirlX
Summary: Hermione Granger is unsatisfied with her life 2 years after the war. Though Voldemort is gone, the Golden Trio are falling apart and Hermione has a plan to save them. Time Travel AU [[ HG / SB ]]
1. Chapter 1

_**Author's note: **__This is my first fan fiction, so I apologise now if my writing style is a bit unpolished. I read so many amazing time travelling HG/SB fics that they inspired me to do my own. This takes place 2 years after the war._

_**Disclaimer: **__I solemnly swear that I do not own any of these characters, they belong to JK Rowling._

* * *

**Chapter 1**

It was finished. It was finally finished. Hermione leaned back in her chair and admired her handiwork. If her calculations were correct then this device would do exactly what she needed it to. She glanced at the clock – 9.15pm. Ron would probably have passed out by now, it should be safe to go home. It was 2 years since the war ended and Ron had never been able to fully accept the loss of Fred. He had turned to drink as a coping mechanism but unfortunately he was quite a mean drunk. He would never lay a hand on her but it was all verbal. He blamed her for everything because she had stayed by Harry's side when he had left, and frankly Hermione could not bring herself to face another of his rants.

_'I'm doing this for him' _she thought, as she fought down the lump in her throat that always came when she thought of what had happened to them '_For both of them'_

Harry had not fared much better after the war. Although Voldemort had been defeated, Harry was unable to handle the guilt for all the lives lost in the Dark Lord's pursuit of him. He had sunk into a deep depression, with more bad days than good. Although Ginny loved Harry deeply, she had confessed to Hermione that she didn't know how much longer she could cope with his dark moments.

It was for her two best friends that Hermione had taken the job at the Ministry. She had formed a plan and needed access to Ministry resources if she was ever going to complete it successfully.

Hermione had been working on a Time-Turner. But not just any Time-Turner – she was creating one that would take her back years instead of days. Her theory was that if she could go back and stop Voldemort before he finished all of his horcruxes then she could save them. None of the people she loved would have to suffer the way they had. Harry would have parents. Ron would have his brother back, and Hermione would have the satisfaction of knowing her friends had grown up safe and loved. The problem with her device was that it would only take her backwards in time. She would not be able to return to her own time if she lived unless she found another way.

_'You made this choice already Hermione. When it comes to a choice between their safety and happiness and your own, you'll choose theirs every time' _she sighed as she thought this, knowing that she was doing it for the best.

Ever since this plan had formulated in her mind she had worked non-stop to get the device working. She had done very deep research into the years before the prophecy was made and had made a list of those she needed to save and when she needed to save them. Now, finally, the device was finished and she was ready.

Grabbing her cloak, she put the device in her pocket and made her way to the main lobby of the Ministry of Magic. The good thing about her job was that she could stay as late as she wanted to under the guise of research, which made it easy for her to avoid Ron. She still loved him but the spark had vanished since he had begun to spiral and they had slept in separate rooms for 6 months now. She flooed back to the flat she shared with him and found him passed out of the sofa, half empty bottle of firewhisky in his hand. Tenderly she covered him with a blanket and placed a gentle kiss on his forehead.

This would not happen again. She would make sure of it.

Wiping away her tears, she apparated herself to Hogsmeade. As it was already dark, no one really noticed the arrival of the young witch and she began to make her way onto Hogwarts grounds. Kneeling by the memorial of the war, she took a deep breath and took a moment to remember those who had fallen. She would not allow them to fall again.

She turned the device 23 times – one for each year back. If she succeeded, there would be no need for a memorial and her best friends would be happy. She shut her eyes and crossed her fingers for luck.


	2. Chapter 2

_**Disclaimer: **__I do not own these characters or profit from this story in any way. The characters belong to the lovely JK Rowling._

* * *

**Chapter 2**

At first she was unsure the device had worked. Nothing seemed different. It was still a dark but warm evening in August. The only difference was that there was no memorial any more.

_'That's a good sign though – right?' _Hermione thought, as she stood and brushed her cloak off

If there was no memorial, she had definitely gone somewhere. She just hoped it was 1977.

"Well, only one way to find out!" she muttered to herself determinedly and began to walk towards the castle.

As it was August, the corridors were empty of students and teachers alike. Some portraits did ask her what she was doing there but Hermione just ignored them and walked steadfastly towards what she hoped would be Dumbledore's office. As she reached the Gargoyle guarding the stairs, she realised that there _was_ one thing she had forgotten.

"Password?" The gargoyle said

"Erm... Oh I knew there was something I'd forgotten..." Hermione muttered, internally kicking herself for what she thought to be a stupid mistake

For the next half an hour, Hermione paced in front of the gargoyle, running through the names of every possible sweet she could think of. Still the statue remained unmoving.

"This is absolutely hopeless, I could be here for days!" She growled, shoving her hands in her cloak pockets. She frowned as she felt something in her pocket and pulled it out to look at it. It was a packet of jelly slugs – Teddy Lupin must have put them there when she last went to visit – and she couldn't help but feel that this was a sign.

"Jelly slugs?" She ventured hesitantly

"Finally – I was starting to think you'd never get it!" The gargoyle said as it stepped aside for her to climb the stairs to the headmaster's office.

"You and me both" she murmured softly "Thanks Teddy"

Once she reached the door, she hesitated briefly before knocking. After all there was no guarantee that Dumbledore would believe her – he may just think her a crazy girl and send her to St Mungo's on the spot – but she knew she had to try anyway. Clutching her list in her hand she waited for the door to open.

"Enter" the voice inside called out and Hermione's stomach twisted in knots.

She pushed open the door. There, sat at his desk, was Albus Dumbledore. He looked up as she came in, his blue eyes twinkling with curiosity.

"May I help you, miss...?"

"Granger. Hermione Granger, Sir"

"Well please, Miss Granger, have a seat" he smiled kindly at her "Would you care for a lemon drop?"

"Oh no, thankyou though Sir. Um – what year is it?" she smiled back nervously

"Why it is 1977 my dear, how could you not know that?" He paused, sweet halfway to his mouth at such an odd question

"Well... its a bit of a long story. You probably won't believe me but I would very much like to tell you anyway Sir"

"Very well Miss Granger, I am listening" He smiled again, the curiosity in his eyes deepening at her vague words.

She proceeded to tell him the whole story. Everything about her life, Hogwarts, her friends, the war and Voldemort's demise. At first he seemed skeptical, but he never interrupted. He waited patiently for her to finish her story, occasionally nodding in agreement with things that seemed plausible. By the time she finished, several hours had passed. They sat in silence for a few minutes while Professor Dumbledore processed the information.

"Okay, so assuming you are telling the truth, Voldemort is going to kill hundreds and thousands of people – muggles and wizards – and he will only be defeated by a 17 year old boy in 1998?" He raised an eyebrow at her to confirm that he was correct.

"Yes Sir" she replied, nodding her assent

"I see... and you have a list of people from this particular time period and where they die?"

"Yes Sir, I wanted to save as many as I could whilst also tracking down the horcruxes"

"Very well Miss Granger, you have convinced me. You should pose as a 7th Year student while you are here, it will help to keep suspicion away from you"

"Of course Sir, I shall tell everyone that I have transferred from Beauxbatons – fortunately I do speak French" she smiled, thankful to her parents for their holidays in Southern France

"Excellent, now did you want to be sorted when school starts or would you prefer to just revert to your old house?"

"If I may Sir, I'd like to remain in Gryffindor – it's where I belong"

"Indeed Miss Granger, if what you have told me tonight is true, I don't doubt that for a second" He nodded thoughtfully "We shall set aside a small stipend for you to purchase school supplies while you are here. It would probably be best for you to pay a visit to Diagon Alley tomorrow, that way you have time free to begin work on the horcrux locations without prying eyes"

"Yes Sir, I agree"

"Excellent – well, for now Miss Granger, you should go and get some sleep in Gryffindor Tower. You have had an exceedingly long day. The password is 'Animus et Fide'"

"Thank you, Goodnight Sir"

"Goodnight Miss Granger"

Hermione walked the familiar path to Gryffindor Tower, giving the very confused Fat Lady the password.

"Hey! There aren't supposed to be students here! Who are you?!" The Fat Lady asked as the portrait swung forward.

Hermione didn't answer. She climbed the stairs to the 7th Year girl's dormitories and fell onto the first bed she saw. She was asleep within seconds – all that time travelling really tires a girl out.

* * *

**A/N: **For anyone who is interested 'Animus et Fide' means courage and loyalty. Also if I have missed out any letters here or there, I apologise, sometimes my keys stick. I've tried using compressed air but to no avail! Thanks for reading so far and I promise that there will be Sirius soon.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: **_I do not own any of these characters, they are from the genius mind of JK Rowling._

* * *

**Chapter 3**

_She was in Malfoy Manor, Sirius's murderer had grabbed her by the hair and was dragging her away. She heard Ron offer himself instead of her but Bellatrix just snarled and told him that if Hermione died he would be next. She heard the cellar door bang as Bellatrix dragged her to the middle of the room and threw her to the floor._

"_Where did you get the sword mudblood?"_

_Hermione didn't answer._

"_CRUCIO!"_

_Blinding pain shot through her body and she screamed out in agony. She felt herself shaking violently as she curled into a ball, tears streaming down her cheeks but still she would not answer._

"_ANSWER ME MUDBLOOD! CRUCIO!"_

_The pain came again, just as violently as before and she couldn't help but scream again._

"_I'm going to ask you again! Where did you get this sword? Where?"_

_Hermione had to think fast but the pain was so excruciating she only managed half of her sentence_

"_We found it – We found it – PLEASE!"_

_As the curse hit her again, she truly understood why it was called an Unforgivable curse. The waves of pain claimed her once more and she could vaguely hear Ron shouting her name._

"_You're lying, filthy Mudblood, and I know it! You have been inside my vault at Gringotts! Tell the truth, tell the truth!" Bellatrix spat out angrily_

_Hermione couldn't catch her breath to speak, the pain had winded her and Bellatrix took her silence as rebellion. Her eyes watched Hermione with disgust and she sneered as she cast the curse again. Hermione just laid there, curled up as the pain claimed her once more._

"_What else did you take? What else have you got? Tell me the truth or, I swear, I shall run you through with this knife!"_

_Hermione lay there, trying to breathe, tremors wracking her body from the intensity of the curse. Unfortunately her silence seemed to provoke Bellatrix as she grabbed her arm, kneeling on it to hold her still as she started to carve something into it. Hermione screamed again as a whole new kind of pain entered her senses..._

Hermione woke with a gasp, the sheets tangled around her where she had thrashed around in the night. The scar on her arm throbbed as she rolled back her sleeve and re-read the word that would be a permanent reminder of the devastating war.

Mudblood.

With a shudder Hermione tried to push the memories from her mind and finally took in her surroundings. She was fully clothed and had been sleeping on a bed in the Gryffindor girl's dorms which had belonged to Lavender Brown in her time. The rest of the beds were unoccupied and she suddenly remembered that term had not started here yet. It was the last week of the summer holidays and it was 1977.

A loud 'CRACK' came from beside her and she jumped. Looking over she met the eyes of a house-elf, who was holding a tray piled high with food and a pitcher of pumpkin juice.

"Apologies for scaring you Miss... Tinky was sent by Professor Dumbledore. Tinky has brought Miss some breakfast"

"Oh... thank you Tinky" Hermione sat up straighter and took the tray from the little elf.

"Miss is very welcome. Professor Dumbledore asked Tinky to remind Miss that she may use his Floo to get to Diagon Alley today. Is there anything else you would like Miss?" the House-Elf bowed respectfully to Hermione.

"No thank you Tinky, this is perfect. You don't need to bow to me though Tinky..." Hermione smiled at the elf, whose eyes widened

"Tinky has displeased Miss?... Oh no, bad Tinky!" The House-Elf fretted and started hitting its head against one of the bedposts

"Oh no! Tinky stop! You haven't displeased me!" Hermione cried out, silently cursing herself for upsetting the House-Elf

"Oh good Miss, Tinky is happy. Tinky will return to the kitchens now" and with another bow and a loud 'CRACK', Tinky was gone.

Hermione shook her head sadly and wished she had brought her SPEW leaflets with her.

After she finished eating, Hermione showered and dressed before taking a slow walk towards the Headmaster's Tower. As she walked she smiled as she allowed herself to remember the happier times. The adventures with Harry and Ron under the invisibility cloak, the laughter of her friends and – she remembered with a pang – her and Ron's first kiss. It was a bittersweet memory. A stark contrast to the past year of her relationship. There had been a sort of desperate giddiness to that kiss that had never resurfaced in their relationship. It was more like they had been going through the motions for the past year. She sighed deeply as she reached the gargoyle. These were useless thoughts, their relationship would never happen once she had fixed what needed to be fixed.

She gave the gargoyle the password and began to ascend the stairs. When she reached the top, she found the door open and Professor Dumbledore was sat at his desk reading.

"Good morning Miss Granger" he said, looking up before Hermione could announce herself "I have prepared the list of supplies for you and the money I promised to pay for them"

"Thank you Sir, I really do appreciate this" She smiled, trying to express her gratitude

"Not a problem Miss Granger. If you being here saves lives then it is a worthy investment indeed." He chuckled and looked up at his clock "Oh my, you'd best be getting a move on. You have a long day ahead of you Miss Granger, the monday before term starts is always the busiest for shopping"

"Of course Sir, I shall be back in a few hours" She picked up the list he had gestured to and the heavy pouch that rested beside it and made her way over to the fireplace. Grabbing a handful of green powder from the pot on the mantlepiece she stepped into the fire.

"Diagon Alley!" she said as clearly as possible, vividly remembering Harry's description of his accidental trip to Knockturn Alley back in their second year.

Hermione stepped out of the fireplace at The Leaky Cauldron, brushing soot from her cloak as she went. The pub was quite full, so she went relatively unnoticed. She made her way out the back to the brick wall and tapped out the sequence. The wall parted to let her through and she was greeted by the familiar hustle and bustle of Diagon Alley. As a book lover through and through, her first stop was – of course – Flourish and Blotts.

She browsed the shelves of books, feeling the comfort that only a place filled with knowledge could give her, when she heard a familiar name being called.

"Oi Moony! We'll meet you outside, me and Pads wanna check out the brooms!"

"Okay Prongs, see you in a bit!" a familiar voice replied

Hermione's stomach flipped as the owner of the voice rounded the corner. It was a man who, in her time, was 2 years dead. Remus Lupin hadn't changed that much from his schooldays, she realised, he was less tense and his eyes didn't hold the pain it had when she had first met him but he was otherwise unchanged.

He seemed to feel himself being watched and he looked up, meeting her eyes.

"Um... hello?" He said, looking a bit confused

"Hello" She smiled back at him, realising she probably looked like a lunatic

"Do I... do I know you?" He asked, folding his arms

"Y- no, no you don't. Sorry, I'm a transfer student to Hogwarts this year. My name's Hermione Granger" She stuttered nervously, trying desperately to remember the lie Dumbledore had given her.

"Oh... that explains why I don't recognise you. I'm Remus. Remus Lupin" He said with a friendly smile "I'm a 7th Year Gryffindor. Do you know what house you're in yet or are you going to be sorted at the welcome feast?"

"Professor Dumbledore agreed to sort me in his office, I'm a 7th Year Gryffindor too. I didn't really want everyone watching me get sorted with the first years – too embarrassing"

"Oh cool, you should come meet my friends. They delegated textbook shopping to me but I'm meeting them outside soon. Sirius and James claim they're allergic to books" He chuckled as he recited their excuse

"Ah, I had friends like that back home. Always left me in the library with their essays while they went to Quidditch practice" she smiled fondly at the memory of Harry and Ron begging for her help with Charms homework

"Yeah, that's pretty much what I have to put up with too"

They shopped in a comfortable silence after that. As they paid for their purchases there was a banging on the window and they looked over to see three boys squashing their faces against the glass. Remus chuckled at his friends antics but Hermione just stood there, wide-eyed, as she recognised the boys.

James Potter was almost a clone of his son, the only real difference being the eyes, his were hazel where Harry's were a vivid green.

Peter Pettigrew looked nothing like he had when their paths had crossed before; rather than the rat-like man he had become, he was round-faced and nervous-looking. If Hermione didn't know what he would do, she might have thought him sweet.

The biggest shock was probably the third boy. Sirius Black. His hair was long and black, his eyes a deep soulful grey. He was clean-shaven and bore none of the crushing sadness he had gained from his years in Azkaban. If he wasn't Harry's godfather, she may have thought him handsome and mysterious. There were butterflies in her stomach as Remus took her arm and lead her outside to join the Marauders.

"Sirius, James, Peter, this is Hermione Granger. She's a 7th Year transfer student and she'll be Gryffindor like us" Remus smiled kindly as he introduced her. Harry's father stuck out his hand for her to shake.

"Nice to meet you, I'm James Potter. Where'd you transfer from?" He asked with a smile

"I was at Beauxbatons, my parents moved back here for work so I came along" She shook his hand and gave a shy smile _'Even the way he speaks reminds me of Harry. They really do have a lot in common'_

"I'm Peter! Peter Pettigrew!" The short chubby boy squeaked

"Nice to meet you Peter" She said as politely as she could manage, even forcing a small smile when all she wanted to do was hex him into oblivion right there in the street.

Sirius Black didn't bother introducing himself. He just smirked at her and turned away, eyeing a pretty blonde witch that had just walked past.

_'Wow, Sirius was nice enough when I knew him before but as a teenager, I have to say he's a bit of a jerk' _she thought to herself grumpily as they started walking towards another shop.

"I'll see you guys at school, I have to go get my robes" Hermione said, smiling gratefully at Remus for befriending her.

"No problem, it was nice meeting you Hermione" Remus smiled kindly once more. Peter and James just waved and, of course, Sirius just kept walking.

Muttering under her breath about manners costing nothing, she headed into Madam Malkins to get her school robes.

Shopping completed, she returned to the Leaky Cauldron and Floo'ed herself back to Hogwarts to await the start of term.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: **I do not own any of the characters (however much I may wish I did) they belong to JK Rowling

* * *

**Chapter 4**

"Argh!"

"SHHHHH!"

Hermione was sat in the library. It was 2 days before the start of term and she had surrounded herself with stacks and stacks of musty old tomes. Ever since she had returned from Diagon Alley, she had developed a routine where she would hurry to the Library as soon as she was dressed and stumble back to the common room when Madam Pince decided to kick her out. She had been frantically researching how to destroy horcruxes without the aid of the Basilisk venom tainted sword (which, of course, didn't exist and probably would never exist now). She didn't really fancy visiting the Chamber of Secrets and taking on that thing. It was bad enough when she and Ron had gone down to get the fangs in the final battle and it had been long dead by then. Unfortunately none of the books she had come across so far had given her the answers she sought.

She dropped her head down to rest on the cool table and closed her eyes, trying desperately to remember what the books from her own time had said regarding horcruxes. She knew Fiendfyre would destroy it but it was highly dangerous and very difficult to control. She knew Basilisk venom worked but she didn't really want to go Basilisk slaying... but maybe she wouldn't have to. With a flick of her wand she sent all the books back to their shelves and dashed out of the library, unaware of the thoroughly disapproving look she received from the stern library witch.

As her feet pounded along the stone corridors, her mind worked overtime to try and formulate her request in a way that wouldn't sound bizarre. She reached the familiar stone gargoyle and paused for breath _'After all, surely the Basilisk at Hogwarts isn't the only Basilisk in the world?'_

* * *

Strolling back to the Gryffindor common room, Hermione smiled. Her conversation with the Headmaster had gone positively and he had promised to look into obtaining a basilisk fang for her. Now the only thing left to do would be to find the horcruxes. She frowned a little at this. She knew the location of some of them in her time, but there was no guarantee they'd be in the same place in this time. The only one she was fairly sure of was the Diadem. That she knew would be in the Room of Requirement. Changing her path suddenly she soon found herself opposite a familiar tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy teaching Trolls to do Ballet. She paced 3 times in front of the blank wall thinking furiously _'I need the room where everything is hidden, I need the room where everything is hidden'. _Sure enough a door appeared on the formerly blank wall and she entered the Room of Hidden Things.

She looked around in awe. Last time she was here she didn't really have time to take in her surroundings, but now she could see that this room was filled with things that centuries of Hogwarts students had hidden away. She began to walk through the small paths formed by the piles of items, her eyes seeking a battered old tiara, but so far she was drawing a blank. 5 minutes later she was back at the door.

"Well that's odd, I must have gone back on myself somewhere" she mused aloud

She began again, this time paying attention to the path she was taking. However, yet again within 5 minutes she was back at the entrance. Frustrated now, Hermione glared at the room for leading her round in circles. This time she took a different route. She passed the vanishing cabinet Malfoy had used to let the Death Eaters in during her 6th Year. She passed a broken pensive on her left, and a bust of an ugly old warlock that she vaguely recognised. Pausing to look around she was fairly sure that this was where Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle had attacked them.

"The Diadem must be somewhere around here... Harry said he put the wig and the Diadem on that warlock..."

She began to rummage through some nearby piles of stuff and although she found several interesting items, none of them were the Diadem. Sighing heavily, she turned to leave when something shiny caught her eye. Walking over to the half open chest of drawers opposite her, she pulled the third drawer fully open. There it was. It was unmistakeably the Diadem of Ravenclaw. It was also, unmistakeably a Horcrux. The moment her eyes fell on it she felt cold and nauseous and she could hear the whispering voices coming from the tainted tiara. Hermione shrugged off her cardigan and carefully wrapped the tiara in it, being careful not to touch it. With a sense of satisfaction, she returned to the common room. _'One down, 4 to go'_

* * *

Hermione spent the last couple of days of the holidays securing the diadem with multiple wards, protection spells and disillusionment charms to ensure that no one would stumble across it accidentally during her stay at Hogwarts.

She packed her trunk with her school supplies and clothes, as – to avoid suspicion – she would be getting the train with the other students. Professor McGonagall had come to see her and explained that she would be accompanying her to Platform 9 and ¾ as it was her turn to supervise the Hogwarts Express this year. They would leave Hogwarts at 9 and have breakfast at The Three Broomsticks before apparating directly to the platform.

Hermione was almost as nervous as she had been during her first year, though not for the same reasons as before. She was fairly sure the Marauders wouldn't mind if she sat with them but she wasn't sure she wanted to endure the silence of Sirius Black. She knew she would get stared at and gossiped about – things, in that respect, were not that different from her own time – but Sirius's silence was, for some reason, more daunting for her. Perhaps it was because she had known the older Sirius and they had often stayed up discussing and debating when she had stayed at Grimmauld Place with Harry and Ron. She found his silence unnerving.

Nevertheless, the morning of 1st September 1977 came around and Hermione was ready to go. She and Professor McGonagall took a leisurely walk to Hogsmeade and had a wonderfully interesting discussion on the way. Hermione had always been fond of the stern but kind woman and now she had a new-found respect for her. Soon, the time came for them to apparate to the platform, and although Hermione was perfectly capable of apparating herself, she still took the older woman's arm and side-alonged with her. Her nerves were starting to get the better of her and she didn't really want to risk splinching herself. Professor McGonagall bid her farewell and went to sit in the teacher's compartment, while Hermione took advantage of the practically empty platform to find compartment for herself. Grabbing a book from her trunk, she made herself comfortable as she waited for everyone else to arrive.

* * *

**A/N:** _I just wanted to take a moment to thank everyone for reviewing my story :) It's really very kind of you. Also I am trying to update as quickly as possible, hopefully it'll start getting into a routine of every couple of days - thank you all for reading :)_


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: **_I would like to take a moment to thank you all for your positive reviews and intelligent questions – every time I check my reviews I get that warm fuzzy feeling so I really am grateful!_

**Disclaimer: **_As usual, I am obliged to remind you that I do not own any of the characters, they have been created by the wonderful JK Rowling._

* * *

**Chapter 5**

_Hermione looked around the now furnished flat, beaming at the progress she had made unpacking their things. Ron was at The Burrow, spending some time with George, while she had offered to unpack their boxes in what would be their new home so that the boys could have some quality time. She had just brushed some dust off of the arm of the sofa when she heard someone outside the front door. It sounded like they were trying to put a key in the lock but kept missing the keyhole. She drew her wand and padded quietly over to the front door._

"_MIONE!" a familiar voice slurred "MIONE OPEN THE BLOODY DOOR"_

_She sighed in relief, slipping her wand back into her pocket and opening the front door. Ron stumbled in, a half empty bottle of firewhisky in his hand, and collapsed on the sofa._

"_Ron... are you okay?" she asked, concern filling her eyes_

"_No I'm not bloody okay... and its all yer fault Mione" Ron swayed in his seat before fixing her with an icy glare "If you had jus' come with me that night in the forest..." he paused and took a deep breath "We could have escaped with my family. Fred would still be here. But no, you had to stay with Harry, the boy-who-bloody-lived, and I came back for you. Not him, you"_

_Hermione's eyes widened at his accusations. She knew he had changed since the final battle but she had had no idea that he blamed her. Suddenly everything made sense – the way he would turn away from her in their bed at night, that he would only hold her hand or kiss her in public. It was all an act. Hermione felt as if she had been punched. The man she loved blamed her for the loss of his brother. She went to put her hand on his shoulder to comfort him but he batted her hand away._

"_Get your hands off me. Don't bloody touch me. You have his blood on your hands!" He shouted, before promptly passing out._

_Silent tears ran down her face as she covered him with a blanket and went to their room, vanishing the candles and rose petals she had laid out for their first night in their home. She had never felt more alone..._

Hermione woke up suddenly, the rocking motion of the train startling her awake. She had let her book slip to the floor and when she touched her face she felt the tracks of tears. Looking around the compartment she could see that she had been left alone by the other students. After all no one wants to be associated with the strange girl who cries in her sleep. Leaving her coat and book behind to show that the compartment was taken, she headed own the train to the girl's bathroom to wash her face.

She stood in the train bathroom, looking in the mirror and willing her red puffy eyes to go back to normal. _'It won't happen this time around, Ron will live happily ever after with another girl – maybe Lavender – and you'll be safe in the knowledge that you let him have a normal life. So what if they never know you?' _Taking a deep breath she decided she looked vaguely normal. If anyone queried it, she would just blame allergies. Not that anyone would, the only people she knew were the Marauders and they hadn't exactly sought her out. She slid open the door and went to step out into the corridor, only to find a crowd gathering to look at something in the direction of her compartment.

"What the hell did you do to me Potter?" snarled a familiar voice

Standing up on the tips of her toes, she could just about see the three boys standing there, surrounded by other students. Severus Snape stood with his back to her, shaking with anger and twitching for his wand. Leaning against the wall was Sirius, smirking and idly twirling his wand in his hand. Finally there was James, casually ruffling his hair as he grinned cheekily at the Slytherin.

"Oh Snivellus, we did you a favour mate"

"Yeah, now your hair is squeaky clean Snivelly, shame the same can't be said for the rest of you"

"Sectum-"

"Levicorpus!" Sirius flicked his wand lazily and the Slytherin was hoisted into the air by his ankles.

Hermione's anger flared and she shoved her way through the crowd to confront the boys. As she fixed the glare on her face and moved to stand in between them and Snape, she gripped her wand tightly.

"Let him down" she growled

"Oh come on Hermione, it's just a harmless prank" James protested, moving his wand to shake the Slytherin up and down.

"Let him down or I swear I will curse your precious hair off" she raised her wand threateningly

James let him down, muttering about crazy women while Hermione turned and offered Snape a hand getting up. He gave her a filthy look and ignored her hand, instead getting up by himself.

"I don't need your help. Stay out of my business" He snapped at her and stormed off, pushing his way through the crowd.

She shrugged and shook her head before rounding on the two Marauders.

"There is a difference between a harmless prank and bullying. That right there was bullying, and I swear that if I find you bothering him or anyone else like that again, you will wish you'd never been born" her eyes narrowed dangerously and angry red sparks came out of the end of her wand "Are we clear?"

James gulped and nodded, but Sirius just rolled his eyes and fixed her with a look that clearly said he thought she was beneath him.

"Why do you care new girl? You don't know him and you certainly don't know us, so why don't you keep your nose out of it?" Sirius sneered, reminding Hermione vividly of Draco Malfoy. She fought the urge to punch him in the face.

"I care because unlike you, I'm a decent human being. I may not know him and I may not know you, but I know a self-centred, arrogant, bullying prat when I see one" she squared up to him, punctuating each insult with a jab to the chest.

"And I know a mousy, plain, know-it-all swot when I see one. You clearly don't know how to have fun so you go around ruining everyone else's day. No wonder you transferred, I bet you had no friends at your old school – no one could stand you!" He hissed, forcefully shoving her hand away

Tears welled up in her eyes and she shoved past him furiously, going back to her own compartment and slamming the door closed – ignoring James calling after her. How could someone that she had loved talking to so much in her time be such a complete and utter arse in this time?! She curled up in the corner, furious with both him and herself for reacting to his taunts. She was so lost in her thoughts that she nearly missed the gentle tapping at the door. Wiping her tears with her sleeve, she stood and slid the door open.

"Hey, can I come in?" Remus said, looking worriedly at her red eyes

"Of course Remus" she moved to let him in, closing the door as he sat down

"Listen, Sirius can be a bit of an idiot when your first meet him. It takes a really long time for him to warm up. The things he said were... well they were cruel and out of line, I apologise on his behalf" Remus looked at her nervously

"You don't have to apologise for him Remus, I shouldn't have let him get to me. I should have known better really. He was being childish and spiteful and I sank to his level" she sighed heavily, embarrassed about her actions now "It's just... what he said... It reminded me of something my best friend said about me before we were friends... it just hurt, that's all"

"I understand. I hope that your anger at Sirius doesn't affect our friendship..." His eyes met hers and she saw a glimmer of sadness pass over them

"Don't be silly Remus, I'm only angry at him, not you. Can you let James know that I'm not mad at him either?" she smiled at him and his amber eyes reflected the relief he felt

"Of course, I'll let him know. Do you mind if I stay in here with you for a bit? Sirius was ranting and raving in our compartment and it was giving me a bit of a headache"

"You're more than welcome Remus"

They spent the next hour discussing books and classes until it was time to change into their Robes and Remus returned to his compartment. Hermione was extremely grateful for the kindness shown by the werewolf and thought to herself _'Well, at least I have one friend here'_


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer:** _I do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters mentioned (unfortunately)._

* * *

**Chapter 6**

The train finally pulled to a stop at the station as Hermione stood, grabbing her trunk from the luggage shelf. Sliding open her door, she joined the throng of students outside, all waiting to disembark the Hogwarts Express. After a few minutes she finally stepped onto the familiar platform and took a deep breath. Memories of being here with Harry and Ron swam painfully into focus in her mind and she fought back a few stray tears. This was a journey she had to make on her own. She headed towards an empty carriage and clambered into it, smiling gently at one of the thestrals which had turned slightly as it registered her presence. A few moments later she was joined by a few familiar faces. Unfortunately, they were not pleasantly familiar.

A shorter version of Sirius Black seemed to sit opposite her, raising an eyebrow and looking her over before deciding she wasn't worth his time. Regulus Black. He was one of the ones she intended to save from an untimely death but clearly he was just as arrogant as his brother. This would be harder than she expected.

The second person to get in was Severus Snape. He shot her an icy look and she had to keep reminding herself that he was one of the good guys really, lest she hex him for his general arseholery. The next two people were also Slytherins and she recognised them as Death Eaters but couldn't quite place their names.

The last person to join them she recognised with a jolt. She had seen him at Malfoy Manor, she was certain of it. Rabastan Lestrange. He was younger and more handsome in this time but she could still see the evil glint in his eyes as he talked animatedly with one of the unknown Death Eaters.

Feeling suitably uncomfortable, Hermione let out a small sigh of relief as the carriage began to move. The Slytherins ignored her for the most part, but she didn't like the way Rabastan Lestrange was eyeing her – like she was something delicious to eat – but she shrugged it off as they reached the castle. She hopped down from the carriage and began heading into the familiar castle. She wound up walking behind the Marauders. They hadn't spotted her yet so she just kept her head down and listened to what they were saying.

"...still can't believe the bloody nerve of that girl. Telling us off the way she did when she doesn't even know us" Sirius was saying

"Yeah well, she had a point Padfoot, you two were being jerks" Remus added, rubbing his temples. Clearly Sirius's ranting hadn't stopped when Remus returned to his compartment.

"Yeah but-"

"No buts Sirius, you were really rude to the poor girl. She's new, she doesn't know anyone except us and you made what would probably have been an exciting trip to a new school into a traumatic experience for her" Remus shot him a glare, clearly fed up of Sirius's wallowing.

"Do you fancy her or something Moony?" Sirius asked, eyebrow raised

"No, I just know what it feels like to be on the outside looking in mate. She's had to leave her home and her friends and you certainly haven't been welcoming to her"

"...Fine, I'll apologise to the silly bint. You and your bloody guilt trips Moony"

Hermione smirked at the resentful tone in his voice, but stayed quiet. She didn't really want them to know she had been eavesdropping, and so she merged with another group of students as they entered the Great Hall. She was acutely aware of the stares and whispers going on around her but kept silent and moved quickly to the Gryffindor table. She seated herself near to some other girls that looked around her age but made sure to keep a seat either side of her empty when she sat.

Someone seated themselves directly to her left and she glanced up, meeting a very familiar pair of eyes. Lily Evans smiled warmly at her, unaware of the shock the other girl was in finding herself face to face with the mother of her best friend.

"Hi, you must be the new girl everyone has been talking about. My name is Lily Evans"

"Hello. I'm Hermione. Hermione Granger" she finally gathered her wits enough to respond, surprised that in shock she had almost forgotten her own name.

"I hear you transferred from Beauxbatons? What was it like there?" the redhead asked eagerly

"It was okay, I never really fit in with the girls there but the boys were kind to me" Hermione lied smoothly

Lily began to chatter away about classes and schoolwork when there was a cough from the other side of Hermione. She jumped and turned, finding herself face to face with a guilty looking Sirius Black.

"We...We appear to have gotten off on the wrong foot. I wanted to... um... apologise for what I said earlier. I was out of line..." He said quietly, glancing around to make sure he wasn't being overheard

"Fair enough Black, apology accepted" Hermione smiled lightly "I'm sorry too, I was a bit over the top"

"No, you were pretty on the nose with it actually, I was being a prat. Anyway, I'm gonna go back to the guys now, so... uh... see you around" Sirius walked casually away and Hermione turned back to face a stunned Lily Evans.

"What on earth did Black do that made him feel so bad he apologised for it?!" she asked "He never apologises for anything...ever..."

"Oh we got into a fight on the train. He and James were bullying another boy. I think he was a Slytherin? I dunno. Anyway I intervened and Sirius didn't take kindly to it" Hermione explained, glossing over the fact that she knew exactly who Severus Snape was.

"Ahh... did the boy have greasy black hair and a bit of a hook nose?"

"Yeah, that's him. You know him?"

"We used to be best friends until he started being a prat. He called me a... a mudblood in fifth year and we haven't spoken since" Lily looked down at her plate sadly

"Did he ever apologise?"

"Oh he tried to, I just didn't want to hear it. I never thought it would matter to him whether or not my parents were muggles and I guess I felt a bit betrayed"

"I can understand that I guess" Hermione smiled kindly at the girl and she gave a small smile in return.

Dinner went by quickly after that and Lily offered to help Hermione get to her classes the next day as they were in most of them together. She could really see where Harry got his kind nature from and vowed to herself that this time he would be raised by a loving family. She would make sure of it.

* * *

**A/N: **Ever so sorry about the delay in updates, I've been extremely busy at work and haven't had a lot of spare time. So to make up for it, I updated an extra chapter for you. Thanks for reading :)


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer:** _I do not, nor will I ever, own these characters. It's a sad situation._

**Chapter 7**

"_Hermione? Hermione are you there?" came a voice from the fireplace_

"_Ginny? What's wrong? Are you okay?" Hermione scrambled up from her seat on the sofa and moved to kneel in front of the fire_

"_I'm fine... um... well I'm not but... could you come over? Harry's asleep and I need someone to talk to"_

"_Of course, give me 5 minutes and I'll be right there"_

"_I love him dearly, I really do but... I can't deal with this any more. He's drowning in his guilt and he's dragging me down too" Guilt flashed in Ginny's eyes as she fiddled with a loose thread on her jumper "Is that wrong of me? Am I a terrible person for wanting to run away?"_

"_No Ginny, of course you're not. It's a hard time for you and Harry at the moment, he's obviously having problems with the trauma of the war. Muggles call it Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. I wouldn't suggest it if I didn't think it would help but... have you tried getting him to talk to someone at St Mungos? They might be able to help him"_

"_I've mentioned it to him but every time I bring it up he flies into a rage. I know he would never hurt me but I'm scared Hermione. Scared for him mainly, I hate feeling so helpless"_

"_Maybe you should give him an ultimatum. He either gets professional help or you're moving back to The Burrow. I don't like suggesting it but it may be the only way to get him to see reason. He's not well mentally at the moment and he needs proper help"_

"_I'll try it. It can't hurt to try"_

_Tap tap tap tap tap_

"_Alright, alright I'm coming" Hermione grumbled, hurrying to the window to let in the owl. It swooped in and landed on the coffee table, holding its leg out for Hermione to take the parchment rolled around it. As she read it, her face dropped and she started shaking. Throwing her outer robes on, she dashed to the fireplace, chucking down a handful of floo powder and shouting her destination._

"_Hermione!"_

"_Ginny! What happened?! Is he going to be okay?"_

"_I don't know... I just... I don't even... this is all my fault" Ginny choked out between sobs_

"_No it's not sweetie, don't be ridiculous. There was nothing you could have done, he hasn't been well for a very long time. Maybe this is the kick he needed to get professional help. Now tell me exactly what happened"_

"_Well... I gave him the ultimatum like you said and... and... he started shouting and screaming that I-I had never l-loved him and that I-I was only interested in h-him b-b-because he was the chosen one. He locked himself in the bathroom and by the time I managed to break it down he-he" Ginny fell to her knees, tears streaming down her face "He had already taken the poison. I rushed him here as fast as I could but I don't know if I made it on time. Oh Hermione, what am I going to do?"_

"_Shhh, shhhh it'll be okay. He'll be okay. He survived the war, he can survive this" Hermione wrapped a comforting arm around her friend, drawing her to a nearby chair._

"_Excuse me, Miss Weasley?" A healer stood in front of them, wearing a sombre expression_

"_Y-Yes?"_

"_You were lucky. He's stable for now but... we're going to have to section him and keep him on suicide watch. He needs medical help but hopefully he should start to get better"_

"_Oh thank Merlin! Can I see him?"_

"_Yes, he's asking for you"_

_Ginny ran into the room, leaving Hermione watching sadly. This should never have happened to them. Things needed to change._

"_Hermione?"_

"_Hermione?"_

"HERMIONE GET UP!" shrieked a voice "WE'RE GOING TO BE LATE TO BREAKFAST!"

Hermione's eyes opened slowly and met the annoyed green eyes of Lily. Sitting up, she rubbed her eyes and gave a huge yawn.

"What time is it Lily?"

"It's 8.15, classes start in 45 minutes, hurry up and get dressed!" Lily folded her arms and stomped out of the room, leaving Hermione to trudge to the shower.

10 minutes later, a fully clothed and slightly more awake Hermione emerged from the bathroom and she settled down to sort out her mass of hair. Casting a quick drying charm, she then used a series of complex beauty charms to make her curls lay tamely down her back. Grabbing her bag, she dashed down to the common room to meet an even more annoyed Lily being harassed by an overly cheery James Potter.

"C'mon Evans, you know deep down that you want to go out with me. Give in to your feelings!"

"Potter, if you were the last man on earth I still wouldn't go out with you" Lily snarled, narrowing her eyes at – what she was unaware of would be – her messy haired future husband.

"You wound me fair maiden. But alas, I will never give up trying to win fair lady's affections!"

"I wish you would give up. Not going to happen Potter. Ever. The sooner you accept it, the happier my life will be" Lily looked up and noticed Hermione "Finally! Come on, let's go get something to eat before Transfiguration!"

Hermione grinned and as she passed James she whispered "Don't give up, she'll give in eventually"

The boy smiled hopefully as the two girls exited through the portrait hole.

"Okay class, today we are going to be working in pairs. If I could have a volunteer to demonstrate what we'll be doing today?" McGonagall looked around the classroom expectantly

"I'll volunteer Minnie" came a voice from the back

Hermione turned a little in her chair to see James walking confidently to the front of the class while the older woman narrowed her eyes at him for the use of the nickname

"Very well Mr Potter" McGonagall seemed to smirk for a moment before pointing her wand at his face "Hold still. _Mutatio"_

James stood still as his hair began to grow long and change to a honey colour, his nose grew smaller and pointier, his jaw seemed to become more feminine and with a smug smile Professor McGonagall added a pink bow to his hair. As he faced the class, he seemed confused by the roars of laughter coming from all around him. Looking round he managed to catch a glimpse of himself reflected on the door of a glass cabinet.

"AGH!" He squealed "What in Merlin's name is this?!" He raised his hand and touched the bow in his hair.

"Prongs, you look almost good enough to snog" Sirius chuckled at the look of horror on his friend's face as he leant his chair back on two legs

Hermione smirked and subtly flicked her wand at the chair, making one of the legs vanish. Sirius's smile faded as he felt himself falling backwards and with a loud crash he hit the floor

"...ow..." he mumbled

"Haha, who's laughing now Padfoot?" James grinned and Professor McGonagall changed him back

"Thank you Mr Potter, you may return to your seat. Mr Black, I warned you about leaning back on your chair like that, now grab another one and lets get on with the lesson please"

Hermione turned to face Lily, who gave her a subtle thumbs up for making Sirius fall.

_'Maybe this will be more fun than I thought'_ Hermione thought happily, before starting the spell on her friend.

* * *

**A/N: **Thank you all for being patient with me, I hope you enjoyed the last two chapters, I intend to post more soon :)


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: **I just wanted to thank everyone for their wonderful reviews. I'm incredibly grateful that you like my story enough to take the time to review :) To be honest, I'm just pleased that anyone is reading it!

**Disclaimer: **Don't own it. Never will. I am sad about this.

* * *

**Chapter 8**

It was 3 weeks since the beginning of term and Hermione was rather comforted by the familiarity of the school routine. Hogwarts had always been a second home to her, along with The Burrow and she loved the castle as dearly as she would an old friend. It was also rather comforting to be able to talk to Professor Dumbledore about the events of her time. She had been holding back her grief for far too long, trying desperately to be strong for her friends who had fallen apart. Fortunately the kindly old man was more than willing to listen to her speak most evenings, often for hours at a time, and he took a great interest in hearing her plans to stop her timeline from happening.

She had told Dumbledore all she knew of the locations of the horcruxes in her time and he had promised her that he would attempt to locate them and let her know if he found them. That part she was extremely grateful for help with, as she had no idea how to go about retrieving them without Harry and Ron to help her. Dumbledore had also managed to track down a potential dealer in basilisk fangs and was going to meet with him the following week – hopefully they would soon have a way to destroy the horcruxes. She had hesitated a little when she told him about the ring, remembering that the reason Dumbledore had died in her timeline was because of the curse on the ring (Harry had told her the truth about Snape shortly after the battle). She decided to tell him exactly how the ring had caused his death, hoping that his greed wouldn't get the better of him this time around.

That evening, as she began the walk back to the Gryffindor common room, she had the bizarre but unmistakeable feeling that someone was watching her. She quickened her pace a little, hugging her arms to her chest, until she reached one of the secret passageways Fred and George had always used to get around the school. It was hidden by a tapestry and led down to the charms corridor. She ducked quickly behind the tapestry and drew her wand, ready to stun whoever had been following her. A hand appeared at the edge of the tapestry and as it pulled the tapestry aside, Hermione cast a non verbal stunner on the person. She heard a thud as the tapestry swung back into place and someone clearly hit the floor. Taking a deep breath, she peeked around the tapestry to find out who her stalker had been.

There, looking up at her with an annoyed look in his eyes, was Sirius Black. She narrowed her eyes at him and knelt down beside him, muttering the counter curse.

"What the hell did you stun me for?!" He growled, sitting up and rubbing his head where it had hit the floor.

"What the hell were you following me for?" She glared back at him "I honestly thought I was going to be attacked!"

"I was coming back from the kitchens and I saw you come out of Ol' Dumbly's tower. Thought you might not want to walk back alone after curfew" He mumbled, looking at the floor

"Well that's very thoughtful and all, but next time could you just announce yourself?" she stood, offering her hand to help him up.

He stared at it for a moment before reluctantly taking her hand and getting up himself. She was surprised by the jolt of what felt like electricity as their hands met and, judging by the way his eyes had widened, she wasn't the only one that felt it. She dropped his hand and busied herself with brushing off her skirt.

"So... shall we?" He gestured awkwardly to the empty corridor

"Yeah, let's go"

They walked in silence, neither really sure of what to say to the other, when suddenly Sirius stopped walking and grabbed her arm. Before she could ask what he was doing he had clapped his hand over her mouth and dragged her into one of the alcoves behind a statue.

"Filch" he mouthed at her, and seeing the look of understanding in her eyes, he moved his hand away from her mouth.

They both stood there, trying not to make any noise as the caretaker hobbled slowly up the corridor. He paused just past their alcove and they held their breaths until he started walking again, muttering about how he was sure he had heard students out of bed.

They both let out a sigh of relief as he disappeared out of sight and Hermione peeked her head out from behind the statue to check for Mrs Norris. Only then did she realise exactly how close she was to Sirius Black. Her face flushed at his proximity and he seemed to realise the same thing as he dropped the arm that had curled around her waist.

"All clear" she said, slipping out of the alcove.

"That was close"

They looked at each other, the adrenaline rush of nearly being caught was evident in both their faces. Hermione felt herself starting to smile, he let out a chuckle and soon they were both giggling at the absurdity of the situation.

"Shall we m'lady?" He grinned, holding out his arm

"Indeed good sir!" She looped her arm through his and they walked off towards the common room happily, all awkwardness forgotten.

A few days later, Hermione sat in a corner of the common room with a book propped up on her knees. She had some parchment resting on the table beside her and her quill was in her hand, writing notes on what everyone assumed was the book she was reading. However, the book was just a ruse. Hermione had spent the last few hours observing the Marauders and making notes on their group dynamics to try and figure out what made Peter betray them in her timeline. She had a fair idea on what had caused it already and she reviewed her notes to be sure.

_'J, S & R play exploding snap together, P is stuck watching. J, S & R discuss day, no one asks P'_

The boys didn't seem to acknowledge that he was there unless they wanted something. That could be the reason that he finally snapped. After all, she knew from experience what it was like to give your all and never feel appreciated or loved. In the last months of her relationship she had felt that way about Ron. She gave and gave, trying to fix what had broken after the war, but nothing was ever enough.

Hermione finally made a decision. She was going to befriend Peter Pettigrew and make sure he didn't turn into the vile creature he was in her timeline. _'Ah well, no time like the present'_ she though, getting to her feet and heading over to the sofa Peter was sat on. James, Sirius and Remus were sat on the floor around the coffee table, trying to build a tower out of exploding snap cards, whilst Peter sat on the sofa, legs tucked underneath him, watching his friends laugh at their game. Without warning, she sat down next to the boy, smiling at his startled expression.

"Erm... hello?" he said, unsure if she deliberately sat next to him or just didn't see him.

"Hi Peter" she smiled happily at him "What are you up to?"

"Um... nothing really... just sitting"

"You mind if I join you? Lily's out on her rounds and I don't really know anyone yet"

"S-Sure" he stuttered, shuffling up a bit to give her some room

"Thanks"

As they sat, they made quiet small talk. He was obviously a bit nervous around her and probably not used to having girls randomly talk to him. She stayed as cheerful as possible, laughing enthusiastically when he made a joke and smiling kindly whenever he blushed and went quiet. She was so absorbed in Operation Secure Peter, she didn't notice the pair of grey eyes watching as she talked with the nervous boy...


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: **Sorry for the late update, I was struck down with a migraine and couldn't even open my eyes, let alone look at a computer screen. But I am back now and I therefore present to you... CHAPTER 9!

**Disclaimer: **I don't own the characters. At all. Booooo :(

* * *

**Chapter 9**

In the week since she had first decided to befriend Peter, Hermione had taken to sitting between Lily and Peter in classes. She found that she rather liked the shy, quiet boy she knew in this time. It didn't take much for her to completely disassociate him with the vile man she had known in her time. As far as she was concerned now, they were two different people and if she got her way he would never become the person she had known in her time. One of the first things she found out was that Peter was far more intelligent than he let on. In Professor McGonagall's class he often knew the answers to her questions but never raised his hand, lacking the confidence in himself required to show his true talents. However that had slowly begun to change.

It was a chilly day at the beginning of October. Hermione was sat in her usual place between Lily and Peter and they were practicing changing objects into animals. Hermione had gotten it almost immediately, and was trying to help Lily change her bottle into a bird, when she noticed that Peter was sitting quietly and not doing the assignment. She turned to look at him and she could tell he looked rather bored.

"Hey, are you okay?" she whispered to him

"Yeah, I'm fine" he smiled at her

"It's just... you're not doing the assignment?"

"Oh that!" he turned to the large glass bowl in front of him and muttered the incantation.

Immediately his bowl turned into a rather beautiful dove, much to the amazement of all around him. Hermione just looked at him, surprise evident on her face, and he grinned before he changed the dove back into the bowl with a flick of his wand.

"I'm better at Transfiguration than I let on to them" he nodded his head to where James, Sirius and Remus were working. Only Sirius had managed to change his object so far, James and Remus were struggling to get theirs to change and had gone a bit red in the face. "I don't like to make them feel bad, they always liked the attention more than I did"

"But... I don't understand. You're quite obviously brilliant and you let them treat you like an idiot because you don't want them to feel bad?" she frowned "Why not take some pride in your abilities? They'll still be your friends you know"

"I know but it's a little late to drop the charade now. Besides, after my NEWTs, I'm only going to be caring for mum anyway. She's ill and while I'm at school we have a healer from St Mungos caring for her, but we can't really afford it any more so I'm going to take over" he admitted, a sad look passing over his usually happy face

"I understand, but that's still no reason not to show your abilities, you can do it gradually, a question here, an essay there and if they ask how you got so brilliant so fast, just tell them that something finally clicked for you. My friend Neville was a bit like that in my old ti-school so it's not impossible"

"I'll think about it. I mean I guess it would be nice to not be treated like an idiot by everyone. Maybe the guys will let me help more in the prank planning stage if I show them I'm smarter"

Hermione nodded, satisfied that he'd at least think about it. She went back to helping Lily with hers, unaware that she was being watched by a pair of oddly sad grey eyes...

* * *

Hermione was sat in her usual spot in the common room, writing out an essay for Charms when she realised what night it was. Her head snapped towards the window, her eyes resting on the very bright, very full moon. She felt a pang of guilt for not remembering that it was a full moon that night. Remus had been looking a bit peaky for the last few days, and she knew that it was harder for him without the wolfsbane potion that Professor Snape had brewed for him in her time. She put down her parchment, sighing sadly, before getting up and heading out of the common room. It was only 9pm so curfew was not yet in action and she could walk the halls freely. As she made her way towards the entrance to the kitchen, she lost herself in thought and didn't realise that there was another person there until she walked straight in to them.

"Ouch..." Hermione muttered, bouncing off the person she had walked into and landing on her behind. There was a clatter of books as the other person fell down, and Hermione looked up to find herself eye to eye with Severus Snape.

"Watch where you're going you stupid girl!" He spat out, clambering to his feet and collecting the books he had dropped

"Sorry Severus, I didn't see you there" She said, picking up some of the books and handing them to him

"Obviously." He snarled, snatching them out of her hands and stalking off down the corridor

Hermione just sighed and got up, brushing off her skirt and heading off to the kitchens. She reached the familiar portrait of the fruit bowl and tickled the pear. It started giggling and the portrait swung open, letting Hermione into the passageway that lead to the kitchens. As soon as she entered the room she was surrounded by the Hogwarts house-elves, all proffering plates and dishes at her.

"Some food for you Miss?"

"Here try some of these cookies"

"How about some cake?"

"Hello again Miss" squeaked a familiar voice and Tinky stepped forward "Everyone be quiet, Miss Hermione will tell us what she wants"

"Hello again Tinky" she smiled kindly at the little elf before turning her attention to the others "It's nice to meet you all, my name is Hermione. I was just wondering if I could get some chocolates for one of my friends. He's not very well you see"

"Zoopy will make them! Have a seat Miss, they won't be long" said one of the elves enthusiastically

Hermione sat down on one of the stools and watched as the house-elves busied themselves either helping Zoopy with the chocolates for Remus or going about their usual chores. No more than 10 minutes later, Zoopy presented her with a bag of chocolates, complete with gift ribbon.

"Thank you Zoopy, these look perfect" she smiled sweetly at the elf

"It's no trouble Miss, we hope your friend likes them" Zoopy beamed up at her, bowing until his ears nearly touched the floor.

Hermione bid them goodnight and left, heading up to her dorm and placing the chocolates gently in her trunk. Tomorrow was Saturday and she would visit Remus in the morning. She didn't know how he would take it when he realised that she knew but she hoped the chocolates would smooth things over. It was common knowledge that the young werewolf loved chocolate more than anything.

* * *

Morning came swiftly, and with it was the excitement of the Gryffindor Quidditch tryouts. James was the Quidditch captain and his enthusiasm for the sport was even greater than Harry's or Wood's had been. Hermione woke to shouting coming from the common room. She showered and dressed quickly, grabbing Remus's chocolates and putting them in her bag, before heading downstairs to see what the commotion was all about.

James was standing on a table, clad in his Quidditch robes, shouting instructions about Quidditch tryouts to the small crowd assembled in front of him.

"NO FIRST YEARS ALLOWED, SO ALL OF YOU CLEAR OFF!" he shouted, and a small portion of the crowd broke off and trudged away sadly

"ANYONE WHO CANNOT FLY A BROOM, CATCH A BALL OR HIT A BLUDGER SHOULD LEAVE TOO" he continued, another small portion of the crowd walked away quickly

"Honestly, why try out if you can't do anything?" He muttered "ANYONE WHO IS JUST HERE TO FLIRT WITH SIRIUS, GET LOST. I'M NOT HAVING HIM DISTRACTED BY YOU LOT" he glared at a small group of giggling girls, who let out cries of frustration before trudging away. Sirius, who was standing on the ground in front of James, just smirked.

"EVERYONE ELSE... LET'S PLAY SOME QUIDDITCH!" He grinned, jumping down from the table and heading out of the portrait hole, with a far smaller crowd following him.

Hermione smiled at the sight, James was clearly a natural leader and people appreciated him. She could definitely see where Harry got his leadership abilities from. Shaking her head and still smiling to herself, she left the common room and went down to the Great Hall for breakfast.

She sat next to Peter and opposite Lily, greeting them both warmly as she reached for some toast. Peter nodded his hello, engrossed in his copy of the Daily Prophet, while Lily smiled fondly and put her book down to chat with Hermione.

"Do you want to come to the Library with me after breakfast?" Lily asked, before taking a bite of her toast

"I have an errand to run straight after breakfast, but I can meet you there afterwards?" Hermione suggested, not really wanting to postpone her visit to Remus. This may be the only chance she would get to see him without the boys around, as Peter was going to watch the Quidditch tryouts.

"Yeah, that's no problem, I'm probably going to be there most of the day so feel free to join me when you can"

Hermione smiled and finished the last of her toast. Standing up, she waved goodbye to her friends and wandered out of the Great Hall, towards the Hospital Wing.

* * *

When she walked through the double doors to the Hospital Wing, Madam Pomfrey was nowhere to be seen. She heaved a sigh of relief as she didn't really want to deal with the fussy mediwitch if she could avoid it. Hermione crept over to the only occupied bed and sat gently in the chair next to Remus's bed. The boy seemed to be resting, but as she sat down he cracked an eye open.

"Hermione?" he rasped, a look of confusion and panic in his eyes

"Hey Remus" she smiled at him "I heard you weren't feeling well. Just wanted to make sure you were okay"

"Oh... Oh yeah, I'm okay, just a bit of the flu I think" he replied

"Remus... I think we both know it's not the flu" she whispered, looking at him meaningfully

"What do you mean?" His eyes widened and he sat up, panic and horror evident on his face

"Remus, I know you're a werewolf. Don't try to deny it, I knew a werewolf back home so I know the signs." she smiled gently at him, reaching for his hand as he started shaking.

"Please don't tell anyone else! I'm begging you! I understand if you don't want to be my friend any more but please keep my secret" He whispered urgently, tears filling his eyes

"Remus, relax. I won't tell anyone. And don't be stupid, of course I'm still your friend. You may be a werewolf 12 nights a year, but you're Remus for the other 353 – and you are an amazing person, a wonderful man" She grabbed his hand as she spoke, looking straight at him so he could see the sincerity of her words

"But I'm a monster! I could kill you! Why would you ever want to be around me knowing that?!"

"Remus, there are people out there who could kill me any time they wanted to. They don't scare me, so why should you? You're only dangerous once a month"

"I guess..." Remus looked down at his blanket sadly

"Cheer up, I brought you something" she grinned at him, placing the chocolates in his lap

"Are these... home made?" His eyes lit up as he sniffed them

"Home made by the house-elves. I figured that you might appreciate them"

He unwrapped them lovingly and took one out, turning it gently in his fingers before popping it into his mouth. A look of pure bliss took over his face and his closed his eyes.

"Thanks Hermione" he smiled, his eyes still closed

She squeezed his hand and left him alone with his chocolates.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: **_I am SO sorry people. My stupid friend (I called her stupid to her face so saying it on here is okay) managed to break my laptop, thus losing all my files and my ability to post things on here (I haven't figured out how to do it on my iPad yet) so I apologise profusely for the long delay. However I am back with new chapters so please continue to read!_

**_Disclaimer: _**_I do not own Harry Potter or any of its characters; I am merely borrowing them for my story._

* * *

**Chapter 10**

The week of Halloween came quickly for Hermione and the Marauders, and of course the boys were excited about the many Halloween tricks they would be playing on the other students and their teachers that year. As Sirius pointed out every time Hermione shook her head despairingly "It's our last year, we've got to go out with a bang, right?" Hermione took to hiding in the library with Lily while the boys planned, getting in some more NEWT studying (after all, one can never be too prepared). It was on one of these particular days that Lily was unable to join her and a very unexpected face presented itself in the library instead.

Hermione sat at her usual table, her nose buried in _'A Guide to Advanced Transfiguration', _her quill scratching quietly on a piece of parchment as she made notes, when a shadow fell across her page.

"Decided to join me anyway Lil-" she turned, expecting to see her red-headed friend and her jaw fell "James? What are you doing in the library? I thought you said you were 'allergic to books'"

The boy who looked so much like his son just shrugged sheepishly "I was hoping I could talk to you about something actually... you know, get some advice?"

"You can always talk to me James, you know that" she smiled and gestured to the seat opposite her "Now what can I do for you?"

"It's about Lily..."

"Ah. I can't force her to go out with you James; you just have to keep trying mate"

"No, it's not that. I mean it is, but I wasn't going to ask you to do that" he rubbed the back of his neck nervously "I just... she keeps turning me down 'Mione! I don't know what to do! I mean this is our last year of Hogwarts, if I don't get her this year I may never get her. Whenever I think about my future, she has always been in it. Ever since I first saw her, I just knew that I'd never love anyone but her, but she hates me..."

"She doesn't hate you James, he just thinks you need to grow up a bit." she sighed exasperatedly "Look, you want to know the best way to win Lily over?"

He nodded enthusiastically, eyes wide and eager.

"Okay" she closed her book and leaned forward "Firstly, you need to stop with the loud and public exclamations of love. It just embarrasses her and makes her angry at you"

"Okay, no more exclamations. What else?"

"Secondly, no more pranks on Snape. They may not be friends anymore but it still upsets her"

James groaned at that, but nodded slowly "Fine...no more pranks on Snivelly"

"Lastly, let her see the good side of you instead of the immature idiot you usually show her. She wants to feel like she can rely on her man, not have to take care of him like a child, which is how she feels about you right now because you've never shown her any other side of you"

"Okay. I can try that, it doesn't sound so hard" James stood up, grinning happily "Thanks 'Mione, I appreciate the advice"

"No problem, but James..."

"Yes?"

"Don't give up if it doesn't work right away. She needs to see you're not just putting on an act for her"

"I won't, I promise" Still grinning madly, he bounded out of the library like an excited puppy.

Hermione chuckled to herself, shook her head and returned to her book.

* * *

In the few days after her little chat with James in the library, Hermione revelled in watching the confusion the redheaded girl was experiencing at his sudden change in behaviour. The evening after the chat, James came into the Great Hall and sat down without his daily exclamation of undying love. Lily spent the entire meal glancing over to him as if to check that he was okay. The next day the only words he said to her were "Can I borrow a quill please?"

Hermione sat in the library again a few days later, reading a Potions book this time, when Lily sat down beside her and let out an audible sigh. Rolling her eyes, Hermione took the hint and put her book down

"Okay Lily, what's wrong?"

"Nothing…it's just… I'm worried about James; he hasn't been acting like himself at all this week. I don't want to ask him in case he gets the wrong idea about me being concerned about him but…do you know if there's anything wrong?"

Hermione suppressed a knowing smile at her friend's words "As far as I know he's fine Lily. Maybe he's just changed, decided to finally take things seriously or something"

"I guess…" Lily stared off into space, thoughtfully chewing her lip and remained deep in thought for the rest of the evening.

* * *

The 31st October 1977 was a dark and stormy Monday. Hermione woke with an intense feeling of dread and as she sat up, her eyes met Lily's, their emerald depths mirroring her own apprehension about the day. Today was the second best day for pranking at Hogwarts (the first being 1st April of course) and the Marauders took full advantage of the day and proceeded to prank anyone and everyone. Literally no one was safe.

Last year, Lily had told her, even she had been pranked. The boys managed to slip colour changing potion into her shampoo and she spent the entire day with neon green hair. So it was with trepidation that Hermione cautiously set her feet on the floor.

_'Hmm, no sticking charms on the floor – so far so good'_ she thought to herself as Lily followed suit. Lily moved to the bathroom door ahead of Hermione (they had agreed the day before that they would take turns in doing things first so that if one got pranked the other wouldn't) and flung the door open. No traps.

The girls continued this way throughout the day but when the evening meal came round and neither of them had been pranked yet (though judging by the amount of shrieks and seemingly bizarre transfigurations, they were the only ones who hadn't been) the girls began to relax a little. It seemed that this year, James' love for Lily and the friendship Hermione had with the boys was enough to save them. How wrong they were.

As the girls tucked into their dinner, they missed the identical mischievous grins on the faces of James, Sirius, Remus and Peter. It wasn't until she heard Lily's shriek from next to her that Hermione even looked up from her plate.

As she turned to her friend her eyes widened. It was still Lily, she could tell that by the long red hair and distinctive green eyes. However the rest of her face had changed – sitting beside her now was a Lily-bear. It had red shaggy fur and an extremely panicked look on its face. Gulping, Hermione looked down at herself.

She was still humanoid and considerably less furry than Lily but she was definitely not herself. Her skin was a greyish green colour and her legs weren't legs, they formed a fish tail. She could only assume she had been transfigured into a mermaid.

"JAMES CHARLUS POTTER!" Lily growled "CHANGE US BACK THIS INSTANT!"

James paled at the use of his full name, normally only heard from his mother after he had done something extremely bad. Sirius, Remus and Peter sniggered at this but unfortunately for them Hermione saw their smug looks.

"SIRIUS ORION BLACK! REMUS JOHN LUPIN! PETER PETTIGREW! DON'T THINK YOU'RE OFF THE HOOK. JAMES DID NOT DO THIS BY HIMSELF AND IF YOU DON'T CHANGE US BACK, REVENGE WILL BE TAKEN!" Hermione adopted the overly stern tone she used to use when reprimanding Harry and Ron (the tone that makes the blood drain from Ron's face).

Peter gulped; terrified of the kind of revenge the two smartest witches in their year would be able to exact. Hermione saw that she had him and leaned forward to deliver the final blow

"I happen to know an extremely powerful Bat Bogey Hex taught to me by an extremely talented witch. If I'm not changed back by the time I finish this ghost-shaped biscuit" she proffered said biscuit at him "I will be using it on each of you in turn. I _know_ where you sleep" she grinned evilly

Peter's eyes widened and he fumbled, trying to withdraw his wand as fast as he could. He cast a quick _finite incantatem_ at them both and hurried away from the table, scampering out of the great hall.

Hermione turned back to Lily with a triumphant smile.

"You know, you are _truly _terrifying sometimes" Lily said, shaking her head.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: **I wanted to take the time to thank everyone who is reading this fic. It means a lot to me that anyone even remotely enjoys my writing. To everyone that reviews, I want to say a massive thank you. You guys are the motivation for me to post new chapters and you keep me going even when I get a little writers block. So yeah sappy moment over – ON WITH THE CHAPTER!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own the characters or the setting, only the story itself. The only thing I have in common with JK Rowling is one initial.

* * *

**Chapter 11**

(_This is not from Hermione's POV but the person who's POV it is will be revealed later_)

It was an early November morning and he sat quietly in the common room, staring into the embers of the dying fire. His mind had been plagued with thoughts of _her_ and he hadn't been able to get to sleep like the rest of his friends had. Chewing his lip thoughtfully he cast a quick _Tempus_ to check what time it was. The light from his wand read 4:07AM. He heaved a sigh. 2 more hours and his solitude would be broken; the other students would start getting up. He leaned back in the overstuffed armchair and closed his eyes; even now he couldn't stop thinking about _her._ Her long bushy brown hair, her chocolate brown eyes always sparkling with happiness, the way she chewed her quill in class – ever since she had come into his life things had gotten better for him. His grades were improving, his friends were kinder and he was more confident. It was all because of her. He knew that for things to stay this good, he would have to have her. But he knew that for him to have her would mean she would have to choose him over all others. Compared to his friends, he was nothing special to look at. He was average height, a little on the chubby side, with watery blue eyes and mousy light brown hair. She would never choose him over Sirius, with his dark and brooding good looks, or Remus, with his quiet intelligence and gentleness.

There was only one way that he could have her. But he couldn't bring himself to that level yet. He would wait a little longer until not having her became unbearable. Only then would he go down that road. Unfortunately he knew it wouldn't be much longer now. She was addictive. With a resigned sigh he reached into his bag and pulled out his potions textbook. After all, it never hurt to be prepared…

* * *

(_Back to Hermione's POV_)

Hermione woke up that morning to the sound of James' magically enhanced voice booming through the dormitories.

"QUIDDITCH MATCH TODAY! GRYFFINDOR VS HUFFLEPUFF! GET UP EVERYONE!"

Hermione groaned and sat up, mirrored by the redhead in the bed next to her. With a look that communicated their annoyance with the boy, they both slipped out of their beds and padded into the stairwell.

"James, turn the volume down you arse. The match doesn't start until 2 and it's only 8 now!" Lily shouted down to him

"Ahh, ladies. Good morning to you too" he flashed a cheeky grin "If I don't wake everyone up now, they'll all be half asleep in the stands during the match and that's no way to support your team!"

"Potter, don't make me come down there and hit you. Just give us a couple more hours – it's Saturday for crying out loud!" Hermione growled at him

"You can sleep in tomorrow, but for now – less sleeping, more chee-" Sirius chimed in, appearing at the foot of the stairs "Merlin's pants 'Mione, is that really what your hair looks like every morning. It looks like it's eating your head!"

Hermione blushed a deep red and put a hand up to her unruly mane which, in sleep, had grown to almost twice its normal size.

"Shut it Black, I'm not afraid to hex you so hard your pretty hair falls off" Lily snapped at him

He raised his hands in mock surrender. With one last dirty look, the girls spun on their heels and stormed back into their dorm.

"Can you believe the _nerve_ of that boy?!" Lily grumbled "How he manages to have girls fawning all over him with an attitude like that, I will never know!"

"It's alright Lily, my hair is pretty huge in the morning. Besides, what do I care what Sirius Black thinks?" Hermione replied

"True. I'm going to go and hop in the shower then. I doubt I'll get back to sleep now" Lily grinned at her friend and headed off to the shower room.

Hermione touched her hair self-consciously again and sat down on her bed _'I DON'T care what Sirius Black thinks of my hair' _she thought furiously _'but then why did it hurt my feelings when he made fun of it?'_

Groaning in frustration, Hermione pushed those thoughts away and grabbed her towel, waiting patiently for Lily to be done.

* * *

Gryffindor had won at Quidditch, which surprised no one. Hufflepuff had a very weak team that year, all their best players had left school the year before and now they were left with the inexperienced and nervous players. But for Gryffindor any victory was worth celebrating and of course that meant there was a loud and raucous party going on in the Gryffindor Common Room that night. The Marauders had mysteriously disappeared for an hour and returned with food and drink (Hermione had to pretend to be as amazed as everyone else, though she knew from experience that they had snuck to Hogsmeade and back). Someone had produced a Wizard Wireless and there was loud music and dancing happening all around.

Hermione sat quietly in a corner, pretending to read a book, when she noticed Sirius moving towards her. With a large smile and a wink, he pulled the book out of her hands and tossed it onto a nearby table. Before Hermione could protest at his treatment of the book he spoke.

"Ah 'Mione, books have no place at a Gryffindor party. Even Evans doesn't read during Quidditch celebrations" he gestured to Lily, who was sat on a table and laughing at something Remus had said.

"Yes, well, I'm not really the partying type…"

"Ah, but I am. Stick with me love and I'll make sure you have fun" He grinned cheekily and held out a hand to her "Now, the first order of business will be a dance"

"I don't dance" she frowned at him "I read"

"Tonight you will dance. And you will dance with the handsomest man in the room" He puffed out his chest proudly

"Really? I thought James would rather dance with Lily" she smirked up at him

"Oh shut up woman and dance with me" He grabbed her by the hand and pulled her to where some other students were dancing. Before she could argue, he grabbed one of her hands and put his other hand on her waist. Hermione shivered at his touch, confused by the unexpected tingling sensation shooting up her arm from the hand that was clasped in his. Resignedly she placed her free arm on his shoulder and allowed him to sway her around the room.

"See? It's not so bad" He smiled down at her, his grey eyes twinkling with mirth

"I suppose there ARE worse dance partners to have" she said reluctantly

He laughed at that, pulling her closer and resting his chin on her head. She relaxed against him, leaning her head on his chest as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

What neither of them were aware of was that someone was watching them from across the room, their blue eyes narrowed in anger and jealousy. Peter Pettigrew clenched his fists and stormed out of the common room, snatching up his Potions textbook on the way out.

'_The time has come' _he thought angrily _'She will be mine, one way or another'_


End file.
